Is This The New Downton?

A new BBC period drama has been commissioned, which we're hoping will fill Downton's shoes...

With Downton Abbey’s final series hitting our screens this autumn, we
are going to have a massive period-drama shaped hole in our lives come
the new year. But could a new BBC period drama fill that hole?

Although
details are scarce, as the show is still in very early stages of
development, BBC have commissioned a brand new period drama set to rival
the plot and grandeur of Downton Abbey. The drama, ‘Black Diamonds’
will be based on Catherine Bailey’s book of the same name about the
Fitzwilliam family who made billions from the mining industry in the
19th century.

It has been rumoured that the drama could even be
filmed at the old Fitzwilliam estate, Wentworth Woodhouse. The Yorkshire
manor was home to more than 100 staff and servants in the mid-1700s,
and is currently up for sale for £8 million.

We can’t wait to
see what’s in store for this new show – will it be as good as Downton?
Or even better? Hopefully more details coming soon!

Keep clicking for some more stately homes you can visit, featured in your favourite period dramas…

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Highclere Castle

Downton Abbey is fantastic because of its intricate plot and complex characters, but we can't deny that the beautiful Highclere castle in Berkshire is one of our reasons for tuning in.

The gorgeous, grand location definitely makes us feel proud to be British!

If you want to feel like Lady Mary for the day, you can visit Highclere - have a cuppa in one of the tearooms, visit the popular gift shop and explore the stunning gardens.

To celebrate the launch of the final television series this Autumn, there is even an exclusive Afternoon Tea and tour of the castle on either Sunday 13th September, or Sunday 20th September. Tickets are strictly limited - click here for more information!

Keep clicking for the Wolf Hall stately homes...

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Inside Wolf Hall

We've all been hooked on the BBC's dramatisation of Wolf Hall, the Hilary Mantel novel that follows the rise of Henry VIII's chief minister Thomas Cromwell. But if you're like us, you might have been as gripped by the stunning locations in the show as by the top-notch cast. Wolf Hall was filmed in some of the UK's most historic stately homes and National Trust properties - read on to find out which properties stood in for Greenwich Palace and more, and when you can visit them.

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Montacute House

Montacute House was used as a filming location for Greenwich Palace, which was Henry's main London seat until the 1530s, and the location of Anne Boleyn's arrest in 1536. In real life, Montacute House is in Somerset, and is home to more than 60 Tudor and Elizabethan portraits on loan from the National Portrait Gallery. Plan a visit from 2 March, when the house reopens for the summer season.

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Chastleton House

The courtyard of Oxfordshire's Chastleton House was used to film flashbacks to Cromwell's childhood in Putney. Meanwhile the interiors of the house stood in for Wolfhall itself - two locations for the price of one. Chastleton was built in the early 17th century and has hardly changed since - it's open to visitors from March onwards.

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Lacock Abbey

Exterior shots of Wolfhall were filmed at Lacock Abbey in Wiltshire, which has also been used as a shooting location for Harry Potter, Cranford and The Other Boleyn Girl. Lacock was once home to William Henry Fox Talbot, who was a pioneer of photography. It's open daily to visitors.

The real Wolfhall, which was the Seymour family home, was in Wiltshire - and sadly it's no longer standing.

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Barrington Court

If you were admiring Cardinal Wolsey's home at York Place, you should know that those interiors really belonged to Barrington Court in Somerset. Barrington is a Tudor manor house that became home to evacuees during the Second World War. It has famously beautiful gardens, which are well worth a visit when the house reopens on 14 February.

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Great Chalfield House and Horton Court

Great Chalfield House in Wiltshire and Horton Court in Gloucestershire both stood in for Austin Friars, the London home of Thomas Cromwell. Horton Court is a Norman hall that is not open to the public; Great Chalfield is occupied but offers tours several times a week.